Swaddle blanket

ABSTRACT

A swaddling blanket for easily and swiftly swaddling an infant keeps the infant tightly bundled for security and warmth. This blanket helps calm the infant and prevents the infant from being awakened from the startling response. Safety and emotional well-being are thus promoted for both the infant and the parent. The infant looks cute and loveable when wrapped in this blanket. The blanket may be made of cotton fabric material and may be tied or tucked for size and tightness adjustments without the use of added fasteners.

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/508,493, titled “Swaddle Blanket,” filed Oct. 2, 2003,incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to infant care products, and morespecifically, it relates to an infant swaddle blanket.

2. Description of Related Art

Swaddling is an age-old technique utilized in many countries. It is theart of wrapping an infant in a blanket, snugly for warmth and security,leaving the infant with a sense of well being, as if the infant werestill in the mother's womb. It has been experienced and observed bymothers and health care providers that this method of wrapping an infantis soothing and reduces crying, calming the infant and promoting neededsleep. This method also prevents the infant from being awakened by hisown startle response, keeps the infant's temperature higher until hisown internal thermostat develops and make it safer and easier for themother to transport the infant, thereby reducing the risk of injury. Dueto these multiple advantages, mothers are taught the skill of swaddlingbefore they are sent home from the hospital. Overall, swaddling aninfant correctly assists in the transition from the mother's secure,warm and snug womb to a new, colder, alien environment.

A mother with a newborn is typically exhausted from the delivery,increased workload, increased responsibilities and the decrease ofvalued sleep. Correct swaddling is a skill that requires patience,practice and time to learn. When a newborn cries or suffers colic, amother's natural response is to quickly soothe and quiet her infant.Trying to swaddle the infant with a receiving blanket while he is cryingcan be frustrating. It is difficult and time consuming to achieve thedesired tight bundle. Once the infant is swaddled, the blanket oftenquickly becomes loose or unraveled due to transporting the infant or bythe infant's own movements. Some babies can turn on their stomachsincreasing the risk of suffocation. Swaddling an infant encourages theparent to place the infant on it's back to sleep which helps reduce therisk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Babies that are wrapped in a snugbundle promotes an increase in their emotional well-being as well as theemotional well-being of the parent as it decreases stress that comesfrom lack of sleep and stress that comes from being in a new environment(such as being outside the mother's womb).

There have been several unsuccessful attempts over many years to createa blanket wrap with the goal of eliminating the above-mentionedproblems. Most of these wraps utilized added fasteners such as zippers,Velcro, snaps, pockets and buttons. Each of these fasteners presentsproblems. For example, the zipper cannot achieve the tightness neededfor a secure feeling nor does it allow for needed size adjustments.Velcro is noisy and while attempting to adjust the blanket to infant'ssize for the needed tight fit, can awaken and startle a sleeping infant,contrary to the desirable aspects of the swaddle method. Velcro does notappear to wear well as infant blankets need frequent washings and Velcroattaching mechanism is reduced with time and use. Pockets are difficultto slide a limp infant into and when wrapped, smaller infants may notfit correctly into the pockets and larger infants may find the pocketsrestraining their feet. They also appear and function like a straightjacket. Buttons are difficult to fasten when a baby is squirming andcrying and require excessive time. They also present a choking hazard toinfants if swallowed. Snaps require the use of pressure against aninfant's body and do not allow for accurate size adjustment or snug fit.They can also be noisy.

Another problem noted is that other attempts at creating a blanket wrapuse too much fabric extension and make it necessary for a parent to rollthe infant several times to make the blanket fit. Other blanket wrapsuse too little fabric, preventing their use for larger infants. Stillother blanket wraps use a special cut design that conforms to theinfant's body but may become unraveled resulting in baby kicking off thewrap, turning on their tummies and having a risk of suffocation.

Other attempts at creating a blanket wrap fail to use the traditionalswaddle method and appearance and do not provide for the needed, extrasnug fit around the infant's legs. Some infants want their arms in theblanket and others prefer their arms to be out, e.g., to allow them theadditional comfort of sucking their thumb. Blanket wraps already createddo not include the option for infants to keep their hands out of theblanket with ease while still allowing for blanket to stay snug.

Some blankets are not designed to conform around the shoulders, use anexcessive amount of fabric, are uncomfortable and messy. Another problemnoted is that some blankets do not have a slight hammock design thatwould allow for more space around the bottom and increase comfort.Another problem noted is that other blankets do not have added fabricaround and behind the head and neck. The added fabric could increase thesense of security, increase comfort, increase cleanliness as the headdoes not rest directly on unprotected surfaces or other people's arms orclothing. Another problem noted is that other blanket wraps do not fitbabies from premature size to larger sized infants, e.g., up to threemonths of age. Another problem noted is that other blankets may not use100% cotton, which is lightweight and natural to prevent infants fromoverheating.

Receiving blankets require taught skill to achieve the swaddle method,become unraveled with infant movement or transport and are a challengeto swaddle when the infant is crying, which increases frustration forboth the infant and the person attempting to swaddle the infant. Otherinfant wraps use fasteners and/or pockets. Other infant wraps are veryexpensive. Other infant wraps may require more than one piece. Otherwraps have failed to achieve a design that can conform to an infant'sbody and allow a secure/snug fit without the use of fasteners orpockets. Other wraps do not allow for the option to have the infant'shands out of blanket. Other wraps do not allow for needed sizeadjustments without the use of added fasteners. Other wraps fail to havethe traditional appearance and the traditional method of swaddling andlook like straight jackets. Other wraps do not allow for a large varietyin one-size fits all that include premature infants. Other wraps do nothave added head and neck support. Other wraps are not designed toslightly hammock for increased comfort and appropriately fitting babiesbody for a non-bulky snug, secure wrap. Other wraps are not designed totaper around infant's shoulders.

There have been several attempts at creating a blanket wrap for infants.The process of swaddling an infant dates back hundreds of years. It issaid that Romans, during the Roman Empire, swaddled their infants. Up todate, many attempts have been made to eliminate the problems that asimple rectangular blanket create, however, the attempts, as hopeful andpromising as they seem, have failed to solve all of the problems, onlytouching one or two areas of concern. This is due to design, for itrequires the elimination of excess folds, unraveling, loose fit, unsafeuse of cords/ribbons, pockets and the use of inconvenient fasteners. Theprior art is complicated, does not uniformly hug the infant, are not asfast and are expensive. Because of the expense, complicated design andfailure to solve the problems that have been presented for hundreds ofyears, one fails to see a swaddle blanket sold regularly, as a neededaccessory, for every infant, on the market when swaddling has beenreported as an infant necessity and can relieve colic, reduce risks ofSudden Infant Death Syndrome and improve the quality of life andemotional well-being of the infant and the parent. A new, affordable,simple and functional swaddle blanket that overcomes the problemspresented by the prior art is desirable. The present invention providessuch a swaddle blanket.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a swaddle blanketthat helps reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a swaddleblanket that helps stop colic.

Another object of the invention to provide a swaddle blanket that may beused to easily and swiftly swaddle an infant.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a swaddle blanketthat utilizes the traditional swaddling method that wraps baby neatly,to keep the infant tightly bundled for security, stay warm during firstdays of life until infants internal thermostat develops and helps calmthe infant and prevents the infant from being disturbed from thestartling response.

Another object is to provide a swaddle blanket that does not unravel.

Another object is to simplify and expedite the process of swaddling.

Another object is to provide a swaddle blanket that will conform to theinfants shape without adding excessive bulk.

Another object is to provide a swaddle blanket that will fit all babiesincluding premature infants.

Another object is to provide a swaddle blanket that will increasesecurity for baby transport with added head and neck fabric for supportand clean infant handling.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the artbased on the disclosure herein.

The present swaddle blanket is made of cotton fabric material andincludes options to tie or tuck the fabric allowing for size andtightness adjustments without the blanket becoming loose or fallingapart and without the use of added fasteners. The blanket is spread andthe infant is placed in the center of the blanket, on his back, with thecrown of the head touching the top surface. One corner is pulleddiagonally, across the body having extra fabric length to allow theleading edge to be tucked under the infant's lower back or bottom. Theopening between the two fabrics were the wings and flaps can be tuckedunder baby's lower back or bottom is one of the key component to theinvention as this allows for fabric tension and baby's weight to keepwrap snug and secure to prevent unraveling. The bottom panel, which hasextra fabric length for needed size adjustments, is pulled up towardsthe infant's chest and folded as needed to adjust for size. The oppositecorner is pulled diagonally, across the infant's body, and also hasextra fabric length so that it can be tucked behind the infant into aprovided area to keep the blanket in place. The two remaining flaps offabric are used to tie or tuck the swaddle blanket in place to furtherprevent the blanket from unraveling and keep the infant's legs secure.The blanket and its method of use allows for the infant's hands toremain in or out of the blanket. Extra fabric length is used only inareas needed to secure the infant and to allow for a neat wrap that isnot bulky and hugs the baby.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form part ofthis disclosure, illustrate embodiments of the invention and togetherwith the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows section one.

FIG. 2 shows sections one through three.

FIG. 3 shows sections one through four.

FIG. 4 is front view of the blanket.

FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the blanket.

FIG. 6 is a front view of blanket with an infant lying on Section One,with Section Three tucked around the infant.

FIG. 7 is a front view of the blanket with an infant, with sections Twoand Three tucked around the infant and Section Four lying flat.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the blanket with an infant securely wrapped or“tucked” utilizing Section Four.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the blanket with an infant tightly and securelywrapped.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the blanket with an infant, showing SectionFour tied securely.

FIG. 11 is a back view of the blanket with the infant, tightly andsecurely wrapped.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the blanket with an infant, with Section Twopulled across the infant and Section One pulled upwards towards theinfant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, Section One (10) is the centerpiece of presentinvention with a “tie” shaped fabric made for resting an infant's head(at 18) and body (at 20). The lower end of Section One (22) is foldedupwards to cover the infant's legs while being wrapped. Section One canbe one or two layers of fabric and is sewn to Section 2 and Section 3from both sides.

Referring to FIG. 2, Section Two (12) and Section Three (14) are “wing”like shaped fabric (single or double fabric), curved on one side, andare sewn to Section One on each side. The following areas are sowntogether: 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6 and 7 to 8. In one embodiment, asdiscussed below, the entire length of fabric from point 1 to point 3 isnot sewn to Section Two, leaving an opening for the end of Section Threeto be tucked behind Section One. Similarly, in one embodiment, asdiscussed below, the entire length of fabric from point 5 to point 7 isnot sewn to Section Three, leaving an opening for the end of Section Twoto be tucked behind Section One. The curves will create a “hammock” likeshape for extra space to hold and secure the infant's shoulders. Thesewings are made to wrap around the infant's body and support the infant'sheadrest area of Section One and support the infant's neck.

Referring to FIG. 3, Section Four (16) is a single or double fabric sewnon the back of Section One using an oval at the headrest area 24 and acrescent shape at the lower portion 26. In an embodiment, as discussedabove, the area between 24 and 26 remains unsown in order to tuck excesswinged fabric (Section Two and Section Three). This allows for wrappingan infant without use of fasteners, holes, buttons, Velcro or pockets.The end of the wing (Section Two and Section Three) are held in place bythe infant's weight and the tension created by tying or tucking which isdone by using the two ends of Section Four. Section Four also functionsas cushioning under the infant's head and body, while also providingextra support for the infant's neck, shoulders and back, while holdingthe infant's legs. This prevents the blanket from opening or fallingapart by allowing the infant's parent to tie or tuck blanket in place.The two ends of this section are made to be functional without use offasteners or buttons, which allows for one size to fit all.

Ends of Section Four are designed to hold the blanket in place and keepdistance from infant's neck and chest area for added safety and comfort.These ends are shortened to prevent a choking hazard while at same timelong enough to be tied.

Additional views of embodiments of the invention are shown in FIGS.4–12. FIG. 4 is front view of the blanket showing elements 10, 12, 14and 16. FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the blanket showingelements 10, 12, 14 and 16. FIG. 6 is a front view of blanket with aninfant 30 lying on Section One, with Section Three tucked around theinfant. The opening is located between the two fabrics where the wingsand flaps can be tucked under baby's lower back or bottom, as discussedabove. This opening is one of the key components of the invention toprovide a means for optimizing fabric tension and using the baby'sweight to keep the blanket wrapped snug and secure to preventunraveling. Referring back to FIG. 2, this opening is formed byattaching section Two from point 2 to section One at point 1 and point 4to point 3, while leaving a place along the length from points 2 to 4unsown to the length from point 1 to point 3. This same sewing procedurecan be used to create an opening between Section One and Section Three.FIG. 7 is a front view of the blanket with an infant, with Section Threetucked around the infant and Section Four lying flat. FIG. 8 is a frontview of the blanket with an infant securely wrapped or “tucked”utilizing Section Four. FIG. 9 is a side view of the blanket with aninfant tightly and securely wrapped. FIG. 10 is a front view of theblanket with an infant, showing Section Four tied securely. FIG. 11 is aback view of the blanket with the infant, tightly and securely wrapped.FIG. 12 is a front view of the blanket with an infant, with Section Twopulled across the infant and Section One pulled upwards towards theinfant. Accordingly, an embodiment of the present swaddling blanketcomprises a front central panel (10) having a front side, a rear side, atop edge, a bottom edge, a first elongated side (1 to 3), and a secondelongated side (5 to 7); a first side panel (12) having a first wide end(2 to 4), and a first narrow end (9), wherein said first wide end isattached to said first elongated side of said front central panel; asecond side panel (14) having a second wide end (6 to 8), and a secondnarrow end (11), wherein said second wide end is attached to said secondelongated side of said front central panel, wherein said first sidepanel and said second side panel are about symmetrical with respect toan imaginary center line drawn from said top edge to said bottom edge;at least one opening selected from the group consisting of a firstopening located between said central panel and said first side panel anda second opening located between said central panel and said second sidepanel, wherein said first wide end is attached to said first elongatedside of said front central panel at first location and a secondlocation, but is not continuously attached from said first location tosaid second location to form said first opening, wherein said secondwide end is attached to said second elongated side of said front centralpanel at a third location and a fourth location, but is not continuouslyattached from said third location to said fourth location to form saidsecond opening; and a rear panel (16) attached to said rear side,wherein said rear panel comprises a first extension (16′) and a secondextension (16″) for securing said front central panel and said firstside panel and said second side panel once said front central panel andsaid first side panel and said second side panel have been wrappedaround a baby.

A procedure for using the swaddle blanket is as follows: Spread theblanket and place the baby in the middle, up high, with his headtouching the top edge. Pull the left side of the blanket snugly acrossthe baby's body. Make sure the baby's right arm is wrapped close to hisbody. Securely tuck the blanket under his lower back as close to hisbottom as possible. Bring the bottom of the blanket up and fold the edgeover as much as needed to adjust for size. As the baby grows, less willbe folded. The right corner of the blanket is then pulled across thebaby's body, securing his left arm near his body and tucking the blanketunder the baby's bottom. There will be two remaining flaps. Use thesefor a more secure bundle by tucking the flaps under the baby's bottombetween the two sides or tying the flaps to make a beautiful lookingbow.

The invention is easy and fast to use. This reduces the frustrationlevel felt by the person wrapping the infant. The swaddle method iseasily achieved with each attempt; resulting in a warm wrap that lookslike the traditional swaddle, is neat and secure, has no bulk orunnecessary fabric to deal with and is one piece. There are no fastenersor pockets. The blanket does not easily come loose, yet there are norestriction on growing infants chest. The invention allows for aninfant's hands to be in or out of blanket with added security and snugfit around legs while still allowing for leg movement and growth. Thepresent swaddle blanket is affordable and hugs and conforms to thebaby's body.

The foregoing description of the invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description and is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the aboveteaching. The embodiments disclosed were meant only to explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical application to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best use the invention in variousembodiments and with various modifications suited to the particular usecontemplated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by thefollowing claims.

1. A swaddling blanket, comprising: a front central panel having a frontside, a rear side, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first elongated side,and a second elongated side; a first side panel having a first wide end,and a first narrow end, wherein said first wide end is attached to saidfirst elongated side of said front central panel; a second side panelhaving a second wide end, and a second narrow end, wherein said secondwide end is attached to said second elongated side of said front centralpanel, wherein said first side panel and said second side panel areabout symmetrical with respect to an imaginary center line drawn fromsaid top edge to said bottom edge; at least one opening selected fromthe group consisting of a first opening located between said centralpanel and said first side panel and a second opening located betweensaid central panel and said second side panel, wherein said first wideend is attached to said first elongated side of said front central panelat first location and a second location, but is not continuouslyattached from said first location to said second location to form saidfirst opening, wherein said second wide end is attached to said secondelongated side of said front central panel at a third location and afourth location, but is not continuously attached from said thirdlocation to said fourth location to form said second opening; and a rearpanel attached to said rear side, wherein said rear panel comprises afirst extension and a second extension for securing said front centralpanel and said first side panel and said second side panel once saidfront central panel and said first side panel and said second side panelhave been wrapped around a baby.
 2. The blanket of claim 1, wherein saidfront central panel includes a reinforced head portion near said topedge.
 3. The blanket of claim 1, comprising no zippers, no hook and loopfasteners, no snaps, no pockets and no buttons.
 4. The blanket of claim1, comprising single or double fabric.